Screams
by lillianwillsurvive
Summary: Elaina has had a rough life. Her older sister Melfra stays at home and works, while she tends the fields with Eragon for money. Her father is a drunk and beat their mother to death when they were children. Follow her on her journey to freedom, through heartache and the monsters she will face along the way. ABUSE/ RAPE Eragon/ OC
1. Introduction

I sometimes wonder how flying creatures lift themselves into the air. I also wonder why the world is a cruel place, and wish I could fly. I run home to the sound of my older sister's voice.  
"Elaina! Father is waiting for you!" I rush into the house to hear the crash of a bottle on the wood floor. The harsh thunk and glass shattering reverberates in my ears and I begin to tremble in fear of the memories and what I am sure will come if I haven't made enough today.  
"Elaina Marie Isealsdaughter, get in here now! I need to be in town soon so hurry up!" I rush into the room and kneel after handing him the bag filled with ten gold crowns.  
"Good. I expect more from you though you dirty slut. No whips today but I swear more tomorrow child or you shall be punished."  
I sigh as soon as he runs out the door and look up to see a familiar face in the distance in the woods behind our home. I run out after father and Nelson, his grey horse, disappear. I walk to the stalls and tack up my stallion Tarpin.  
"Nina why were you in such a hurry to go?" I jump and scream lightly but sigh and catch my breath recognizing the familiar blonde jogging towards me.  
"Hey you okay? You seem anxious." Eragon takes a step towards me and tries to see past the knee length curtain of thick brown hair.  
"I'm fine," I whisper then get on my horse and take off. We meet up in our usual hunting spot up in the spine before he hands me a spare bow of his.  
"Tell your uncle I said thanks for the extra cash today it really helped." He nods as he points out a fresh set of deer tracks to me. We make I contact and leave Tarpin tied to a post in a tree. I see the little x's we put in the trees to find our way back on previous trips. We make it to a clearing and split up to flank the herd of twelve or so deer. I nod across the clearing, pull my string back and aim while Eragon does the same. We release right as a resounding boom fills the clearing. I jump and rush into the clearing a few seconds later to see Eragon kneeling by a small blue stone.  
"What is it?"  
"More importantly, how did it het here? It just... appeared." Eragon points out the obvious. I sit and think for a few minutes and realize what might have happened.  
"Do you remember the stores you told me when we were kids about magicians?" He nods. "What if it was teleported here to us? It has to have come from somewhere."  
"Well I'm not going to just leave it here. It has to be here for a reason. Do you want to take it home?"  
"No take for all the extra pay your uncle has given me over the years." We move back through the trees, our hunt unsuccessful. We chat along the way. At some point conversation stops and my back aches from the whips I received yesterday.  
Suddenly, I trip, foot caught under a root and hit my back and head. The pain causes e to pass out, and I can hear as I slip into darkness Eragon calling my name in worry.


	2. Marks

Eragon's POV

"Elaina!" I drop my bags on the ground including the bag with the stone. I lift her head and check her pulse. It is steady and strong but I decide to play it safe and keep her here for now. I roll her over and check her back for any major gashes. What I find terrifies me. Along her back are major gashes, and the skin that isn't torn is scarred with marks just like them. I know she didn't fall hard enough to cause all of the damage here, and she wasn't injured at the farm. I think back to the things she told me about her past. Her mother had drowned in a river and was found later with multiple lacerations to her body. Come to think of it they didn't look much like any animal claws, but do look like the ones on her back. She also hardly mentions her father other than the fact that they don't get along well. I haven't talked to them much, but I have seen him quite often at the tavern in town drinking and being generally boisterous. I also have never been to their house. She has a sister but I have only seen her two or three times. It begins to come together for me. Why she is shy of my hugs and roughhousing. Her father always seemed cruel but I never would have guessed... I gather firewood and build a fire and cook meat from a rabbit we caught a few days ago. Elaina suddenly jumps, her long brown hair flailing around her in curtains as she jolts awake. "Where are we?" she asks. "The better question is what were you hiding from me?" "What do you mean?" she tilts her head and winces. "The cuts on your back. Where did they come from? And the scars? Who...What...?" I am completely baffled by the friend I have known forever. "My father and I don't get along okay? He doesn't work so I have to. If I don't bring enough money for his mead, I get whipped, burned and slashed. My mother didn't drown. She was murdered. By my father." She cries and I shift closer to her and allow her to lean on me as she sobs. She gets up carefully and walks off. I follow her when she doesn't turn back. I hear a scream off in the distance and move toward it only to find her attacking a tree and crying and wailing. I gently pull away, then more forcefully when she refuses. I have to wrap my arms around her and sit down with her in my lap as she cries, slowly putting herself to sleep. I carry her back to camp and set her down as I take the rabbit off the spit. I turn to find her sad brown eyes staring up at me. "I am so sorry." I hand her some rabbit. "I'm fine Eragon," her tone is weak. "I refuse to let you go back there Elaina. Why don't you come stay with me or Gertrude? I'm sure she could fix you up." She nods shaking. I pull out our rolls seeing how late it is and help her into hers. "Thank you Eragon." "Goodnight Nina."

* * *

We walk back to town and I bring her to Gertrude's. She sits in the living room while I explain everything to Gertrude. "My goodness, and you just now learned of this Eragon?" "You know I would have stopped it sooner if I had known." "Elaina dear come here," Gertrude calls. "Let's go get you a room to saty in. I have some clothes from my daughter you can wear. I watch her thin frame move down the hallway with Gertrude unsure if I should follow. "Eragon I'm going to examine her so you can go into town for a while." "Thank you. Take care of her okay?" I here a hum of consent. I walk outside and to Horst's. Albriech and Baldor seem to have just gotten off work so I go in to talk to them. "Eragon how are you?" Albriech asks after we exchange greetings. "Not so well. Nina is with Gertrude." "What?" "Why?" "I think you can ask her. I don't want to talk about it and I'm not sure she would want everyone to know." "Is it because of you?" Baldor asks. "No! If it weren't for me, she never would have gotten medical attention." They ponder this. They don't seem to understand. Just then Horst and Elain walk in hand in hand. "Eragon, do you know what Gertrude is doing at her house? Someone over there sounds to be in real pain." Elain asks. I know I can't lie to them, not now. The boy look at me but I ignore them and nod at them. "Elaina is in there." "Why what happened?" It all crashes down on me. She could have died if I hadn't noticed. A tear escapes my eye. I shake my head and stay silent. "Eragon what happened?" Horst asks in a somewhat harsh tone. "Her father, he... Her mom didn't drown. She was killed." They gasp as they piece it together and Elain cries. She comes over and hugs me, her stomach heavy with child making it hard to reach me. The boys sit in shock. Then Albriech shakes his head in shock. "She was always so happy. I can't believe it." "I swear that man should be hanged for his crimes." Horst speaks more harsh and angry than I've ever heard him before. "I'm going back over there." I get up to leave. "You can stay with us tonight Eragon." "Thank you Elain." I run back to Gertrude's and find the house quiet. Gertrude stirs something over a fire while Nina rest on her stomach on the couch. "She has been through so much Eragon. You must keep an eye on her when she is okay to leave." I nod silently and sit on the floor on the couch. "She said our the first person to know outside of her family. She really cares about you. I don't think even she knows how much just yet. You can't leave her." "I won't." "Her father was really thorough in his beatings. She probably won't be able to leave for weeks. I stitched up most of her wounds but the others are still pretty deep and will take time to heal. Have you thought of what you'll tell her father?" I haven't. "What should I say to a man who has beat his children and killed his wife?" She just stares back at me sadly.


	3. Chapter 3

Nina's father is seen in town today but he is to drunk to realize that she is missing yet. I leave town around mid afternoon to retrieve Tarpin who we left out in the woods yesterday. I ride him back to town and arrive just before sundown. I check in on Nina to find her still asleep. I eat a quick dinner with horst's family then head upstairs to the spare room to sleep.

* * *

I wake early the next day and ride out to the farm to explain what has happened to Garrow and Roran. "I will clean out you room for her to say in Eragon. Roran you go to town wit him and find some extra food." We arrive back in town a few hours after dawn and get to work at the market. I see two suspicious black cloaked figures roaming around, backs hunched. "Roran do you know who they are?" "Probably henchmen of the king, here to reek havoc on the town." I am suddenly reminded of the egg back at the house now in Roran's room. My arm is grabbed by something suddenly, yanking me around to face them. "I know you know where my daughter is, boy." The words slurred from the drunk man's mouth. I stand in astonishment then growl back. "Even if I did I wouldn't tell you where she is, pig." I spit at his shoes. Roran shakes his head in the background trying to tell me not to pick a fight with a man who is taller and stronger than me. I don't listen though. He growls at me then grabs my collar. "You'd better-" He is cut off by a stick set on his shoulder by an old man behind him. "He'd better what? From what I've heard the only one who needs to do anything is you. I suggest you put him down before I make you." Nina's father laughs. "You make me? Please. Go back to your books old man." Brom whacks him over the head hard enough to make him drop me. Roran steadies me as I watch them both take a fighting stance. The old man strikes first knocking his opponents legs from under him. For a drunk, Nina's dad moved pretty fast. He rolled up into a fighting position and struck out at Brom with a fist. Brom grabbed it, twisted it and shoved it back at him. By now a crowd had gathered and people watched as both men recovered for another round. Just as they moved toward each other the crowd parted and allowed a young woman in the ring. She stepped between he men as the crowd stared in astonishment. "Where have you been, GIRL? You did not return home yesterday," he reached toward her as if he were going to slap her, but I interceded. "She is none of your concern now, criminal." Nina's eyes widen at how strong my voice was with my aggressive choice of words. "What do you mean Eragon?" Brom asked, stepping forward slightly. "I'll explain." Nina and Brom went off a little ways to discuss, and Eragon saw him kiss her forehead. "Eragon, Roran take her back to Gertrude's and get her wounds checked." He raises his voice for all to hear. "Go home now this man is not for you to judge. Leave him to his mead and leave." We all walked away and I saw Brom run off in the corner of my eye and realized I had the bag with the stone in it still at my hip. "Thank you," Nina whispered to me as we walked back. "No problem. I would do anything to keep that thing away from you. No one deserves to be treated like that." She looks down at her feet and nods, her lips a tight line. I then notice what she wears. It is one of Elain's loose dresses, so that her back isn't being touched. It drops down to the floor hiding her feet. It is a soft dark blue fabric. I smile at how she looks even after all she's been through.

* * *

It is sunset when we get to Gertrude's. She takes Nina in and tells me to wait outside. A few minutes later, Nina comes back. She holds a bag of something in her left hands. I cock my head.  
"Poppy seeds to help the pain. She said to go see Horst. They invited us over to a nice dinner. That's why I'm wearing this," She gestures downwards toward her outfit, her long brown hair falling over her shoulder to mid thigh. It is tied back in a soft braid, only a few shades darker than her tan skin.  
We walk in silence to Horst's for we know all questions will be answered at dinner.  
I can't help but see the beauty in the scars marking her neck and shoulders, showing the feats she has been through to stand before us today. Her light gold brown eyes shimmer in the setting sun, complimenting the tan skin and dark brown hair. It is twisted into a braid, something I only know because she taught me as a child, that reaches her waist. Her short bangs are swept just along the line of her thin but dark brows framing her almond shaped eyes.  
I wish I understood how to protect her, and to explain how I feel for her. It's just every time I try to say something I stumble and choke. I guess it will come in time, being able to say something like that.  
We finally make it to their house and we take the step two steps two at time.  
"Good evening!" Elain calls from the kitchen. I walk into the dining room to find the boys setting the table. I pull out a chair for her as Horst walks in.  
I could see the look of sorrow in his eyes as he looked upon the string but small girl before us. He moves forward and lays a hand on her shoulder, looking her sadly in the eyes with an apology.  
"I'm sorry."  
Her cheeks raise, complementing her angled features in a beautiful white smile.  
"I'm alright sir. I have dealt with worse pains than this." I wince at this statement.  
Dinner consisted of mostly silent, albeit a comfortable one and they offered her a room to stay in next to mine. We agreed and I helped her gently up the stairs. Elain had already put some clothes in the room for her.  
"Goodnight Eragon."  
"Goodnight Elaina." And with that I slipped next door to bed, and quickly found myself dreaming.


	4. Authors Note DONT IGNORE

Guys. I would really appreciate more than 1 review please. There is so far 300 readers who have read the whole story and have not given one comment, I hate to sound pushy but reviews give me ideas, and inspire me to keep going. I have a chapter ready to post but will not do so until you give me a review. Thank you for at least reading the story. 


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